Pneumonia research grossly underfunded

Research into pneumonia is massively underfunded compared to its burden of disease, according to a new report by academics at the University of Southampton.

With a global mortality of nearly one million deaths per year, pneumonia remains one of the world’s most deadly diseases. But research into the underlying causes of the disease and its prevention is low while diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis all receive comparatively greater levels of funding relative to their respective burden of disease, the report says.

Dr Michael Head and Dr Becky Brown, of the Research Investments in Global Health study in the Faculty of Medicine, co-authored the report. They launched the findings at a recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting event organised by UNICEF and Save the Children that discussed ways of tackling the biggest infectious diseases in children.

The report is a global analysis of research studies related to pneumonia and covered over $3 billion worth of research funding across over 2000 awards from G20-based funders between 2000 and 2015.

The Gates Foundation and the US NIH were the key investors in pneumonia research no other funders having substantial portfolios.

There is also little in the way of research for priority areas within pneumonia such as paediatric-focused studies and projects related to antimicrobial resistance, the report says.

Dr Head said: “Pneumonia remains one of the most deadly diseases, in particular for young children in low-income countries. Despite that, pneumonia has been historically neglected by the global health community, and that has to change.

“Areas such as diagnostics, and improved early recognition of pneumonia are priority areas for future research, as well as addressing antimicrobial resistance in relation to pneumonia-causing pathogens such as the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. Our report informs the evidence base around resource allocation and provides a platform for further multi-disciplinary stakeholder discussions including policymakers, funders, researchers and clinicians to make sure this burden is addressed.”